The Monster in the Man
by DkPhoenix
Summary: What if a certain false spoiler for Season 6 had been true? Riley meets Drusilla in South America and returns a changed man.
1. Story Notes

What if a certain false spoiler for Buffy Season 6 had turned out to be true?

This takes place right after _Hell's Bells_, assumes the events in _As You Were_ never happened, except for Buffy breaking off her relationship with Spike., and contains spoilers for everything up to mid-season 6 .Rated R overall, for language, graphic violence, implied sexual situations, and disturbing concepts, although most of the chapters are really PG-13. Contains character death. The concepts, universe, and all the characters except the cannon fodder are not mine, they belong to Mutant Enemy. I am not worth suing, really. If you wanna archive, just ask, brush after every meal, and do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

Comments, archive requests, and lavish praise: DkPhnx@aol.com

Flames, spam, and pyramid schemes: postmaster@yourisp.com

Special thanks to Lyssie for the constructive criticism and encouragement. 

This is not the first thing I've written, but it is my first Buffy fic, and the first one posted to ff.net. Feedback is good. We live for feedback ;-) 


	2. Chapter One

**_Bolivia, One Year Ago_**

The small taberna was like many others that clung to the edges of the Amazon Jungle, a hybrid of wood and prefabricated metal, strung with multicolored Christmas lights inside and out. The lights, as well as the refrigerator and vintage jukebox inside were powered by a creaky old gas generator sputtering away in a shed attached to the back of the building. The whole thing looked like it could explode at any minute. 

Riley Finn walked across the wooden planks that led up to the doorway, and into the taberna. He sat down heavily in a wooden chair, and shrugged off his backpack onto the floor. The bartender was already setting a bottle of amber whiskey and a glass on the table. Mr. Finn was well-known in this establishment. He poured himself a glass, and sighed wearily, running his hand along the fresh scar that bisected his eyebrow, and ran down across his cheekbone. 

"I like a man with scars on his face. It adds...... character." 

Riley looked up from his glass at the woman who'd just joined him at the table. She was British, from her voice, and seemed as out of place as he did here. Or maybe perfectly in place. 

"Now, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this, or am I being too obvious?" 

"I'm not a girl... and I'm not very nice. The real question is, what's brought a handsome young man to try and drown himself in a bottle of cheap whiskey? In a place like this....." 

"That is a very good question. And a very long story." He looked down. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hit a sore spot." She mock-pouted, sticking her lower lip out and looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Let me make it all better?" 

"How." His voice was flat. 

"Follow me." 

She got up, and walked towards the door, looking back and beckoning to Riley. He shrugged, grabbed his pack and the bottle, and followed her out. The night was humid and heavy, but the sky was clear. 

"So many stars. They speak to me, the stars do." 

"That's just the parrots. And the monkeys." 

She turned to him. "Is that what you think? So little imagination you have. What took your dreams from you, I wonder? Let me help you find them again...." She had moved towards him as she spoke, whispering the last into his ear. Riley took a deep breath, and pulled her to him, kissing her roughly. She brushed her lips along the side of his neck. Riley sighed. 

"I know what you are." 

"You think? The stars are speaking to me now.... they're telling me how much she hurt you. She hurt me too, you know...... oh yes." 

He pulled back from her. "Who are you?" 

"She hurt me. First she took Daddy, then she took my boy from me. My darling, bad, bad boy. I think she owes me another." 

The woman's face changed, vampiric ridges forming. 

"My name is Drusilla." 

The stake dropped from Riley's hand as she leaned in to feed. 

--------------------- 

**_Sunnydale, Present Day_**

Buffy walked home from work, a Doublemeat Palace bag in her hand. She didn't think she could ever eat another burger again, and even Dawn was sick of the Doublemeat Medleys, but Willow liked the fries. Plus, she hadn't had time to do the grocery shopping... again.... so there wasn't much else to eat in the house. 

"Delicious and nutritious" She thought out loud to herself. 

"Much like you, pet." 

The voice startled her, and she nearly dropped the bag. 

"Spike? What are you doing here? I... I..." 

"I know you meant what you said, Slayer. I was just in the neighborhood, and.... oh, bloody hell. I followed you. Wanted to make sure you were all right, wot with the goin's on with Loser-boy and 'is demon babe and all." 

"Spike. I can take care of myself." She paused, seeing the look of pain that crossed his face. "But.... thank you." 

"Sure." They walked in awkward silence for a few yards. Buffy stopped. 

"Spike, it's ok, really. Look, see my house there at the end of the street? I think I can make it that far without something jumping out at me." 

"Well.... all right then." Spike disappeared into the shadows, too quickly. It was obvious he was feeling the same tension as Buffy. The attraction between them was still powerful, more so now that they were no longer acting on it. Buffy sighed. It was too much to hope for, to have a normal life, and normal relationships on the Hellmouth. Both Xander and Anya had been out of sight for a week, ever since they called off their wedding. Tara had been running the Magic Box for Anya.... at least she and Willow seemed to be taking steps to patch things up. Buffy was glad to see some of her friends happy. 

She had reached her house, and stopped to check the mailbox when she sensed someone behind her. 

"I told you, you didn't have to follow me...." 

She turned around. There was no one there. She frowned, shook her head, and went inside. 

--------------------- 

**_The Next Evening_**

The young couple half-ran through the graveyard, giggling and ducking under tree branches. The girl looked about 15, with wavy hair the color of clover honey. Her companion looked a little older, with longish brown hair that nearly touched his shoulders. Both staggered a bit, and carried open cans of beer. They stopped, breathless, and sank to the ground leaning against the side of a crypt. The young man reached inside his denim jacket, pulled out a joint, lit it, and passed it to the girl. She took it, inhaled deeply, and immediately coughed and sputtered. 

"Easy..." the boy said. "Don't try to suck it all in at once. See? Like this." He took the joint from her and demonstrated, holding the smoke in until he too coughed and choked. She laughed at him, and ruffled his hair. 

''Silly." 

He smiled at her, and reached out to stroke her cheek. "You picked an... interesting place to come and party." 

"I know, isn't it neat? And, no one will come and disturb us here." She replied. 

"Probably not, with the stories I've heard. I mean, aren't you scared? This being Sunnydale and all. Hell, I've only been here a couple of months, and I've heard the stories." 

"I grew up here. I'm not afraid." She leaned in and kissed him, her hands wandering down his chest. He sighed, and slid the straps of her tank top down her shoulders, pushing her into the crypt wall. He buried his face against the side of her neck. 

"Of course, you'd think kids would know better than to make out in a cemetary. Haven't you ever seen a horror movie?" Her face changed as she spoke, and grabbed the boy by the hair, stretching his neck out to bite. 

''And you'd think that by now vampires would know better than to stick around in Sunnydale." Buffy stepped around the side of the crypt and leaned against the wall. "Or maybe you've never heard the word 'Slayer'' 

The vampire tossed the boy to the side and leapt at Buffy, who easily dodged the clumsy attack, grabbing the girl by the arm and flipping her into a nearby headstone. She pulled out a stake and walked over to the stunned vamp. 

"This is just getting too easy." 

"Wrong!" Powerful hands lifted Buffy by the back of her jacket, and repeatedly slammed her face-first into the crypt, before throwing her to the ground. She looked up and saw a muscle-bound vampire dressed in black leather biker gear. He bent over to pick her up, with a leer on his face. "Never had Slayer blood before, heard there's nothing quite like it. Me an' Tina, we're gonna have us a real treat tonight!" 

Buffy looked up wide-eyed, then brought her foot up hard into the male vampire's crotch. He doubled over in pain as she leapt to her feet and brought both her fists down hard on the back of his neck. She pulled a stake out of her jacket and stabbed into his back, dusting him. 

"That's for ruining my jacket, you cre...." 

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" The female vampire, Tina, tackled Buffy, knocking the stake from her hand. She straddled Buffy on the ground, punching her in the face over and over, snarling in inarticulate rage. Buffy reached up and tried to grab Tina's hands, when she suddenly exploded into a cloud of ash. Buffy blinked, and wiped her eyes to clear out the bits of Tina. 

"Ow. That stings. They don't tell you that in the Slayer Handbook... 'what to do if you get vampire dust in your eyes'. I know I told you not to follow me, but........ Riley??!??!" 

"Hello Buffy." He held his hand down to help her up. 


	3. Chapter Two

"Riley? What are you doing here? I mean.... I never expected to see you again. Not after...." 

"I know, Buff. We didn't part on the best of terms, and a lot of it was my fault." 

"Riley, I..." 

"No. Wait before you say anything. I've been thinking about what I wanted to say here for a long time. I know, it's been more than a year, and a lot of things can change. You may even be seeing someone... hell, you probably are, but I just wanted to see you again. Talk things over, so maybe we can part as friends this time." 

"Riley...." 

"Maybe you never wanted to see me again, I wouldn't blame you, but I had to..." 

"Riley. I'm glad to see you." 

"Really?" 

"Really." She wiped her hands on her thighs, and tried to brush the dust out of her hair and off her face. She winced, as her fingers found a gash on her forehead from the crypt wall. 

"You're hurt. Let me..." Riley took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently dabbed Buffy's face. Their eyes met. 

"Riley.... I want you to know, I tried to stop you. From leaving, I mean. That night, on the helicopter strip." 

"You did?" He leaned forward, until their faces were inches apart. 

"Yeah, I did." 

Riley leaned closer, his lips parted. Buffy closed her eyes. 

"Um, what just happened here?" 

The boy on the ground, Tina's "date", spoke as he rose shakily to his feet. 

Buffy looked at him. "That's kinda hard to explain. Long story. Maybe you should cut back on the dope smoking, and be careful about following strange women into graveyards at night. Sunnydale's not a good place to do that." 

"No shit, man. I think I'm getting on the next bus back to LA. Um, thanks, y'know?" 

"Don't mention it." Buffy and Riley watched as the young man made a swift retreat out. 

"So." 

"So. I could say the same thing to you, you know. About following women into Sunnydale graveyards. But I'm glad you did." 

"I'm glad I did too." 

They walked away from the crypts, stopping at a stone bench near the cemetary gates. Buffy pulled off her jacket, sighing at the large rip that nearly seperated the collar from the rest of the cloth. She shoved the ruined coat into her bag. Riley raised an eyebrow at her attire. 

"Colorful." 

Buffy looked down at her Doublemeat Palace uniform in embarassment. "Oh. Yeah. This. I had to, um, get a job." 

"It's ok. It looks cute on you." 

"Really?" 

"No, but you look good anyways. You always look good to me, Buffy." 

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. "You look good too. Look at you, you're all Mr. Stealthy Commando Man. What happened there?" She gestured at the scar on his face. 

"This?" He touched his hand to his eyebrow. "Angkar Demon. They've got these tentacles growing out of their faces with teeth on the ends. We were cleaning out a nest in Bolivia." 

"Wow. We've got a lot to catch up on." 

""We do. So, who did you think I was back there?" 

"Huh?" Buffy looked confused. 

"Back in the cemetary. Whoever you told not to follow you." 

"Oh. That. That was no one... nothing important." 

"Ah." He stared intently at Buffy and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. "I should let you get home. It's late. I need to take care of a few things, myself." 

"Are you staying a while? In town, I mean." 

"Yeah. I am now." 

Buffy smiled. "Good." 

"So, can I see you tomorrow night? After work?" 

"I'd like that." 

"Good. I'll meet you......?" 

"At my house. About ten-thirty." 

Riley smiled and squeezed Buffy's hand. "See you then." 

They parted, Buffy walking in one direction, Riley in the other. A flame flickered in the gloom near the cemetary walls, followed by a clicking noise as the Zippo lighter snapped shut. 

"Nothing.... no one important...." 


	4. Chapter Three

Everything was moving in slow motion. She was back in the chapel, at Xander and Anya's wedding, except it all seemed to be going right this time. She stood in the foyer, next to a happy, excited Dawn, while Anya's demon friend Halfrek helped the bride with last minute adjustments to her veil and hair. Buffy walked up to the chapel doors, and peered through the glass. Xander stood at the end of the aisle, looking slighty uncomfortable in his tuxedo. Standing next to him was Willow, smiling broadly with her hand on his arm. Buffy felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Tara. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out. 

"What?" 

Tara seemed to repeat herself, but Buffy only heard a hissing sound, like a radio station between channels. 

"What did you say?" 

Tara smiled, and took Buffy by the hand, leading her over to the group lining up behind Anya. The hissing grew louder as they moved closer to the chapel entrance. A demon with a row of spines running down the middle of his head pulled the doors open for them, revealing a curtain made of shimmery irridescent beads. Anya disappeared through the curtain, followed one by one by her bridesmaids. Buffy was the last, and as she stepped over the threshold her ears popped, and then... silence. 

The chapel was gone, replaced by the courtyard from the old Sunnydale High, set up just like it had been for the ill-fated last graduation ceremony. A long, deep red carpet scattered with flower petals stretched out in front of her. She looked over her shoulder and saw that she and Anya had traded places, the latter standing behind Willow, Dawn, and Tara. Buffy looked down at herself and saw she was wearing an elaborate white lace wedding dress with a train. The benches were full of familiar faces from Sunnydale High. As the procession moved down the aisle she saw her mother, sitting next to Giles and Jenny Calendar. Joyce held a lacy handkerchief to her face, then waved at her daughter. Buffy turned her head to the left and saw Faith whispering in Cordelia Chase's ear. The two giggled, then Cordelia turned and whispered to Angel, draping her arm around his shoulders. Angel smiled, looked directly at Buffy, then crumbled into dust. Cordelia turned her face, and Buffy could see the flesh slipping off her old nemesis, eyes shrivelling back into their sockets, and jaw dropping open as the muscles and tendons holding it in place withered away. Faith stood up, revealing the knife buried in her stomach, then she pitched forward over the back of the bench in front of her. 

Buffy whipped her head back around. Her mother, Giles, everyone had turned into skeletons in fancy clothes. Behind her, her bridesmaids followed, still smiling, like nothing had happened, urging her forwards. At the end of the aisle, a line of men in tuxedoes stood with their backs to her, in front of the stone demon Acathla. The first man turned and held his hand out to her. It was Riley. Next him stood Xander, the demon hybrid monster Adam, and several of Riley's comrades from the Initiative. She took Riley's hands and stood in front of him. Her bridesmaids lined up next to her, and Acathla's stone face cracked as it began reciting a traditional wedding ceremony. 

Suddenly shots rang through the air. A line of bullets from an unseen sniper tore through the wedding party.. The Initiative men lay scattered around like dolls, and Xander flew backwards, red flowers blooming across his chest. . The bullets continued, cutting through the bridesmaids. Willow and Tara were crumpled together in a heap,. Anya lay on her back, arms spread out, eyes open and staring, one perfectly round hole in her forehead. Buffy looked around frantically, and tried to pull away, but Riley held her hands in an iron grasp. Dawn staggered towards her, hands outstretched, then pitched forwards leaving a bloody trail down the side of Buffy's dress. She looked at Riley. His skin seemed stretched too tightly, giving his face a skull-like appearance. He grinned, and fire danced in the pits of his eyes. Behind him, Adam lurched to his feet, and pulled a ring out of his tuxedo jacket pocket, handing it to Riley, who jammed it onto Buffy's finger, tearing the skin and drawing blood. Then, a crossbow bolt sailed through the air, embedding itself in Riley's chest. He jerked, and squeezed Buffy's hands even harder, before bursting into flame. She slowly turned her head, following the course of the bolt, and saw Spike standing on top of a concrete pillar, slowly lowering the crossbow. He opened his mouth to speak to her. She heard the hissing noise again, then there was a flash of metal as an axe swept from behind him, taking off his head with one blow. Drusilla stepped through the cloud of ash and pointed the axe at Buffy. 

"Burn." 

Skeletal arms reached out of the pillar of fire that had been Riley, and pulled her in. 

Buffy sat bolt upright in her bed, gasping for air and throwing the bedclothes away. Sunlight streamed in through her window. It was a beautiful day, but she could still smell burning hair. Fifteen minutes and a long, hot, shower later, she walked downstairs. Willow sat at the kitchen table sipping a mug of coffee, her laptop open in front of her. Buffy made a beeline for the coffeemaker, pouring her own cup. 

"Morning." 

"Morning." Buffy sat down across from Willow and stared into her cup, rubbing her temples. Then she sat straight up and looked around. 

"Where's Dawn? Isn't she going to be late for school?" 

Willow chuckled. "Dawny left for school three hours ago. Look at the clock." 

She did. It read 11:15. "Whoa." Buffy squinted and rubbed her temples again. An ache was starting to set up there, and behind her eyes. "I must have been really out of it." 

Willow looked concerned. "Are you ok? I was getting ready to leave for class, but I can stay. I mean, it's only a lab...." A look of vague distress crossed her face at the thought of cutting class. 

"Nah, Will. I'm ok. Probably too many grease fumes getting to me last night." 

"You sure?" 

"I'm fine. Couple of aspirin, and I'm right as rain." She winced. "Or close to it." 

Willow packed up her computer and left, pausing at the door to give her friend yet another concerned look. Buffy lifted her mug and smiled. 

"See? Caffeine and sugar. Cures everything. Now go. Off with you to get educated." 

Willow smiled back and closed the door behind her. Buffy leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. 

"I wish." 

--------------------- 

"I don't understand why you're doing this. You _don't_ just _play_ with the _Slayer_." 

"Oh, but you do, Garrett, my boy. It's all a game. I see that clearly now." 

"Bullshit. You've still got a thing for her. Man, you should just drain her and work it out on her corpse. That's the only kind of safe sex with a Sl....." 

Riley covered the distance between himself and Garrett in a split second, pinning the minion vampire against the wall. 

"And what if I do? I'm in charge here. You do what I tell you." 

"You're only in charge... **ERK**!" 

Riley jammed his arm hard against Garrett's throat. "I... said.... I.... am... in.... charge. Understand? That goes for the rest of you. Any questions?" 

A chorus of "no"s and "no problem"s came from the three other minions in the underground chamber. 

"Good." Riley stepped back and let Garrett slump to the floor. One of the other vampires spoke up, tremulously. 

"So, um, you're in charge, so what are we gonna do? We going after her tonight?" 

"You will do nothing. Stay here until I get back." 

"Where are you going?" 

"To take care of a few loose ends." 


	5. Chapter Four

"So, that was the dream. What do you think?" 

"I don't know, Buffy. Dreams are funny things." 

Buffy looked down and drummed her fingers on the reading table at the back of the Magic Box. She'd stopped in on her way to work to talk to Tara. 

"I know, and I hate to dump it all on you, but I wanted to talk it over with someone who knows about stuff." 

Tara smiled shyly, pleased that Buffy thought of her that way. "Well, I know about your prophetic dreams in the past, but this one might not be. Y...you've been through a lot lately." She stumbled over her words, thinking about her part in what Buffy had been through. 

"It just seemed so _real._ Not like a dream." 

"Look at it this way. Riley's back in town. You and Riley were together, and now you and Spike..." 

"It's ok. You can say it. We were 'together'.... in a way." 

"R..right. We're all upset about Xander and Anya, and Drusilla and Acathla figured in when you and Angel... when you and Angel broke up. Maybe your subconscious is just throwing all these things together." 

"You think so?" 

"Maybe. Tell you what. There's a spell I can do, to clarify prophecies. If there's anything to your dream, it should tell us. It takes a little preparation, so if you can stop by again after work, we can try that." 

"That would be great. Thank you, Tara." 

"Sure." 

Buffy gave her friend a hug, then left the store. Tara was gathering up the spell components when she heard the bells over the door jingle. 

"Can I help you find something?" She turned around, but saw no one in the store. 

"Hello?" 

--------------------- 

"Screw that. I'm leaving." 

"Garrett, man, you heard what he said." 

"I don't care what Hormones-for-Brains said. Besides, he'll be gone for hours. He'll never know." 

"I don't know...." 

"Man, aren't you _hungry_? Aren't you tired of being stuck in here, sucking the backwash out of Finn's empties?" 

"Yeah, but..." 

"No buts. I'm outta here. The rest of you do what you want." 

Garrett pulled himself up and through the portal in the ceiling, into the sewer tunnels, and began walking, muttering to himself. 

"No balls. And Finn.... he's just a whelp. Why should he be in charge over me?" 

He reached a manhole marked with orange spray paint and other, darker fluids, climbed up the ladder and emerged into the alley behind Willy's Bar. He went in, sat down, and gestured for a bottle and a shot glass. He downed several shots in quick succession, then grabbed the bottle and started chugging directly from it. 

"Wo-man?" 

"Wha?" Garrett turned and looked at the demon next to him. It spoke slowly, lisping around it's large tusks. 

"Muthhhhht be wo-man. Nothing elthhhhe make drink like that." 

"Yeah, it's a woman. Not the way you think, though." He took a big swig of whiskey. "It's the damn Slayer." He slammed the bottle down on the bar. The demons surrounding him all nodded and grunted. 

"Slay-er." 

"Ssssshe killed mmmmmy maaaaaate." 

"Gave me this!" The demon speaking held up a tentacle which was obviously missing a few feet off the end. 

"Ruinsssss everythiiiiiiiiiiing." 

"Damn right she does! We COULD have a sweet little thing going, me and my crew, but noooooo. God-blessed soldier boy comes in, with his 'I'm in command here!' wants to play footsie with her, instead of just killing her... or staying the hell out of her way." 

"Mnnngh. Baaad." 

"Ssssssssssss" 

"Dude. You're fucked." 

"I know." Garrett said unhappily, reaching for his bottle. He tilted it uo, but nothing came out. He held it up and squinted into it. 

"Here y'go, mate." Another bottle appeared on the bar. 

"Gee, thanks, man." 

"It's nothing. So, tell me, what's this 'soldier boy' of yours got in mind?" 

"Oh, man...." Garrett took a swig out of the new bottle. "He's just nuts. You know what?" He lowered his voice and leaned towards his new drinking companion. "I think he actually wants to _turn_ the Slayer?!?!" 

"Does he, now?" 

"Yeah. Fuckin' crazy." 

"Tell you what I think.... I think you need a new chief around there." 

"Don't I wish. I'd take over, but, he's strong, and the others, they're just followers, man." 

"Have y'thought about outside recruiting?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean me. I _am_ the Big Bad, after all......." 

--------------------- 

"Are you sure about this?" 

"Of course I'm sure. It'll be a piece of cake. From wot you say, this Finn's a nancy-boy, he is. And the rest of that motley excuse for a gang will fold right up once we take 'im out. Either that, or they're dust. Then, you an' me, we take over things." 

"Well... I don't know. There's four of them, and two of us...." Garrett swayed drunkenly, reaching a hand out to steady himself against the alley wall. 

"Man, haven't you been _listening_ to me? I've killed two _Slayers_. Even took out Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, all by meself!" 

"Really?" 

"Well... I did 'ave me a little help. But she just distracted him, while I did all the work. Here, 'ave another drink." 

Garrett took a gulp out of the offered bottle, and hiccupped softly. 

"Whass a 'nancy-boy', anyhow?" 

"Look, and here's the sewer entrance! You go first, mate. Lead the way. Mind you, there's no....." 

Garrett disappeared down the open manhole. There was a loud splash. Water splattered out on the street. 

"...ladder." 


	6. Chapter Five

Buffy let out a long breath and locked the double doors of the Doublemeat Palace lobby. She leaned back against the glass and surveyed the dining area. One birthday party and two church busses within an hour of closing. She'd seen demons that did less damage. She carefully stepped around a puddle of what she fervently hoped was lemonade, picked up a tray and a rag, and began swiping smashed french fries and slimy pieces of bun off the nearest table. She muttered under her breath. 

"The glamorous life of a Slay.... oh. Ew." 

There was a mixture of ketchup, chocolate malt, and bits of pickle dripping down the back of one of the plastic benches. Maybe the demon analogy wasn't so far off after all. She picked up an empty paper cup and gingerly used the lid to scrape the mess in. She dumped it into the nearest trash barrel, and went into the back to get a bucket and a bigger rag. And gloves. She was looking a little green when she stepped behind the counter. 

"Nothing like those bus loads, huh?" Her coworker Sophie was cashing out the till. 

"It's a jungle out there." 

"Well, there's something in the back that might cheer you up." 

"Let me guess.... the lid on the grease trap is stuck again." 

"No, silly. I mean it. Go look." Sophie followed Buffy into the back. "it's over there. On the counter next to the lockers." Buffy walked over to it. There was a single pale pink rose with a note attached to it. Her name was on the outside. Buffy looked at Sophie and raised an eyebrow. 

"Where did this come from?" 

"The florist brought it. Open the note!" Sophie bounced on her toes. Buffy slowly undid the ribbon holding the note closed. "Who's it from? Is it from that blonde guy? At the party? Um.... Clem's.... friend?" 

"Noooo. It's not. It's from an old friend of mine. He's back in town, I ran into him last night." 

"Ooooh? What's it say?" 

Buffy looked down at the note. 

_ "Buffy:  
I saw this, and had to get it for you. Hope you  
don't mind, it reminded me of you. I'm looking  
forward to seeing you tonight, but I'm going to  
be about half an hour late. I have some things  
I need to take care of. Forgive me?  
Riley" _

"I'm supposed to meet him tonight. It says he's gonna be a little late, which is good, because, well..." She jerked her shoulder towards the mayhem in the lobby. "That's gonna take a while." 

"Not for you. Go." 

"Oh no, Sophie...." 

"Yes. You go. I'll finish up closing." 

"Really?" 

"Go." 

"THANK you!" Buffy quickly took off her apron, and grabbed her coat and bag from her locker. "You are the BEST, Sophie!" 

"I _am_ gonna want to hear all about this guy tomorrow, you know." She sighed. "Roses are sooooo romantic. I mean, I like Country Time fine, and those kittens are really cute, but roses..... oooh!" 

Buffy nodded solemnly and traced her fingers in an "X" over her chest. "Aboslutely. I will file my report tomorrow. Thank you SO much." 

"Have fun." 

--------------------- 

"I'm tellin' you guys, he's the real deal!" Garrett addressed the group of dubious minions. Spike leaned against a support column behind him, smoking a cigarette and looking bored. 

"I don't know, Garrett...." 

"Look, aren't you sick of being cooped up in this hole while Finn goes out and does as he pleases? Aren't you tired of getting pushed around? " 

"Maybe... but we'd just be letting this guy push us around. What's the difference?" 

"I'll tell you wot." Spike pushed away from the column and stepped forward. "The difference is, I know what I'm doin'. I know how to run a crew. And I believe in lettin' my boys get out and have a bit of the fun now and again." They murmurred uncertainly. Spike tossed his cigarette down and stomped on it in exasperation. "I can NOT believe you sods are turnin' down a chance to run with William the Bloody!" 

"William the who? Never heard of you." 

"I have." The crowbar came down hard on the back of Spike's head, dropping him to the floor in a boneless heap. Garrett began backing away slowly. 

"Boss...." 

"Garrett, Garrett, Garrett. Now what did I tell you?" Garrett raised his hands in front of his chest, still backing away, eyes rolling from side to side. "I told you to stay here until I got back. Very simple. So simple even a moron like you should be able to handle it. But no. What do you do?" Riley whacked Garrett in the stomach with the crowbar, doubling him over. "You... go... and... bring... back... this.... **WORTHLESS** neutered eurotash excuse for a vampire! He's got a fucking beahvioral control implant from the Initiative, Garrett! Do you know what that means?" He vamped out and roared. "**NO FANGS!!!**" 

Riley slammed the crowbar into Garrett's mouth, sending blood and broken pieces of teeth flying. He raised it again and brought it down hard across Garrett's kidneys, then kicked him in the ribs as he fell. Bones snapped. Garrett curled up into a fetal position and brought his hands up to shield his head. The blow never came. Garrett looked up, heistantly, and Riley caught him under the chin with the end of the crowbar, raising him up to dangle like a fish on a hook. 

"The behavioral implant means he can't harm a human. Can't hunt. Can't feed. Can't do anything but beg for scraps. And **THAT **is what **YOU** thought you'd replace me with?!!?!" Riley stared up at him, eyes glowing like liquid gold. Then he smiled. "But, hey. Anyone can make a mistake." He started to lower his arm. Garrett's bloodied lips twitched, hesitantly, hopefully..... 

Riley pulled back hard on the crowbar, twisting it so the bent end went through Garrett's neck. His head exploded into dust before it could hit the floor. Riley turned and looked at the rest of his minions for a long minute, slowly twirling the iron bar in his hand. They shifted uncomfortably. Riley's face smoothed out, shifting back to normal. He pointed with the crowbar. 

"Take that one over to the table." 

--------------------- 

Buffy hummed softly to herself. She felt, could it be possible, happy? Or the closest to real happiness that she'd felt since coming "back" She almost skipped down the sidewalk leading to the Magic Box. The sign was turned off, but there were still lights on inside. She tried the door.... it was unlocked. 

"Hi Tara. I'm here." 

Silence. 

"Tara? Are you in the back? Tara?" 

Silence. 

Buffy reached into her jacket and pulled out a stake, walking slowly through the store. 

"Tara?" 

There were a few books, a small enamel bowl of herbs, and three unlit candles sitting on the large round reading table, as if Tara had been preparing for the clarity spell, but of the spellcaster herself, there was no sign. Buffy quietly slid her bag off her arm and moved through the racks of merchandise in a crouch. Nothing moved. Nothing was out of place. The shop was empty. Buffy stood, and walked to the main counter, where the phone was. When she reached it, she caught a glimpse behind, of blonde hair streaked with red. 

"Oh my God! Tara!!!" 


	7. Chapter Six

Blackness. Pain. A sizzling sound and the smell of burning flesh.....

Spike's eyes snapped open and his back arched in agony. His vision slowly cleared. He was stripped to the waist, and lying on a stainless steel autopsy table. Riley loomed above, a large syringe in his hand.

"Welcome back to the land of.... well, the land of the soon-to-be-dust. How're you doing, my man? Long time no see."

Spike lunged upwards, snarling and straining against the manacles that held his hands and feet. Riley squirted a bit of the liquid in the syringe out across Spike's bare chest in an arc. It hissed and bubbled, smoke rising. Spike roared and bared his teeth, banging his head against the table.

"Holy water. Fascinating stuff. Just imagine what would happen if I....." He touched the tip of the needle against Spike's arm. "....Stuck you...." He trailed across to the center of his chest. "Here. Or....." The tip of the needle hovered over one ice-blue eye. "Here. Orrrrrr...." Riley pushed the needle into the denim of Spike's jeans, near his groin. "Here." His finger hovered over the plunger. 

Riley smiled brilliantly. "Later." He set the syringe down on a tray just out of Spike's sight, and picked up a pair of tongs. He sat down on the edge of the table. "First, we need to chat. What did you think you were you doing, trying to turn my minions against me like that?"

"Not my fault you can't control your lackeys. Maybe you're just not cut out for this 'evil' thing, wot? Some guys just 'aven't got the stones...."

"**WRONG ANSWER!!!!**" With blinding speed, Riley lept on the table and grabbed Spike's jaw, forcing his mouth open. He reached in with the tongs and wrenched out one of the blond vampire's teeth. Blood spattered across Riley's sweater as Spike screamed. He climbed off and dropped the tooth in a clear glass beaker. Spike glared, eyes a baleful yellow, growling low in his throat.

"Next one out is a fang. Now. Let's try this again. As much as I'd love to draw this out... and you really have no idea _how_ much.... I have a date tonight. So, let's just cut to the chase. What have you told the Slayer?"

"Fuck you." Spike spat blood.

"Now, that's not very helpful. Boys?" Two of the remaining minions came forward and held Spike's head. Riley moved forward with the tongs.

---------------------

Buffy paced. The memories of this particular room in Sunnydale General Hospital were all too vivid, and recent. The cheap plastic furniture. The stained and worn industrial type rug. The falling-apart magazines that were six months old. And all the boxes of tissues, at least one on every surface. She could see ghostly images when she looked around. Herself and Tara sitting on that bench. Dawn on the chair next to it, knees drawn up to her chest. Willow, Xander, Anya, and Giles, looking helpless. Buffy felt helpless now. And she wanted to run from that room as fast as she could.

The double doors leading into the waiting area flew open. Willow burst in, eyes swollen and almost as red as her hair. She ran towards Buffy.

"I got your message. Tara....."

Buffy put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Tara's alive. Somebody broke into the Magic Box and cracked her over the head with one of the big marble runes behind the counter. She's still unconscious"

Willow tried to push past Buffy. "I want to see her. Now."

"Will, you can't. They've taken her back for a CAT scan. They'll come out and tell us when there's any news."

Willow's eyes darted back and forth from Buffy to the ER doors, then she slumped and collapsed back onto the plastic bench. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, and rested her head in her hands. Buffy sat next to her, and laid her hand on Willow's back. Willow sat up.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. The place wasn't ransacked. I couldn't see that anything was out of place... not your usual Magic Box robbery. I don't think it was a robbery at all. But who'd want to hurt Tara? She doesn't have any enemies."

"No, she doesn't. But Anya does."

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, there's a lot of people... and otherwise... who'd take a crack at Anya."

Willow stared into space, silent.

"Will... it's not Anya's fault. And I'll find whoever did this and put the hurt on them. I promise."

Willow turned her head to look at Buffy. "If anything happens to Tara, whoever did it will wish that you found them first." Her voice was cold, and a hint of darkness moved behind her eyes.

The doors opened, and a woman wearing bluish green surgical scrubs came out. "Maclay family?"

Buffy stepped forward. "We're her friends."

"She doesn't have any family." Willow spoke through tight lips.

"I see. Well, then... I'm Dr. Westin. The good news is, Miss Maclay doesn't have a skull fracture. She's got a concussion, a large laceration on her scalp, and she's lost a lot of blood... more than we can account for, actually. The not so good news, there's been some bleeding on her brain. We've put her into a light induced coma to minimize that, but we won't know for sure if there's any damage for 48 hours."

"I want to see her. Now."

"She's not...." the doctor saw something in Willow's eyes and cut short her protest. "Well, just for a minute."

---------------------

Buffy pulled down the yellow crime scene tape across the door of the Magic Box, turned the key in the lock, and went in, followed by a reluctant Willow. The latter cut her eyes around from the fake magic geegaws, to the real items of power, to the smudges of fingerprint powder and the smeared blood around the main counter.

"Wills?"

"I'll be fine, Buffy. Where are the things you wanted me to see?"

"Over here." Buffy led her friend to the round table at the back of the store. The books and spell components she'd seen earlier were undistrubed. Willow ran her fingers lightly over the books, then picked up the small ceramic bowls and sniffed the contents.

"There's nothing unusual. Sage, celery seeds, yarrow, althaea, salt water.... standard stuff for prophecy. All easy ingredients to get, nothing that would interest a demon."

"That's what I was afraid of." Buffy perched unhappily on the edge of a low bookcase. 

Willow walked away from the table. "The blood loss says 'vampire'."

"Yeah, but there were no bite marks, and since when does your typical vamp have enough self-control not to completely drain their victim?" She winced, seeing Willow's shoulders stiffen at the word "victim". 

"Willow, I have to ask... are there any rituals that call for the blood of a witch?"

"Yeah." Willow's voice was distant. She stopped, crouched down, and peered underneath the counter, then she stood up, grabbed a pencil, and used it to pull out a small square of black plastic with wires attached. "Since when do demons, or vampires for that matter, carry pagers?"


	8. Chapter Seven

They parted ways outside the Magic Box. Willow wanted to return to the hospital to sit with Tara, and Buffy was reluctantly headed for Spike's crypt, to see if he'd heard anything about a demon with a grudge against Anya. She rapped on the door once, twice, no answer. She pushed the door open. The TV was on and the candles on either side of the couch were lit.

"Spike? Dammit. I don't want to play hide and seek."

She took a few steps into the crypt, then whirled around, stake in hand, when she heard a noise behind her. She was showered by the popcorn that a very surprised Clem was carrying in his hands. He let out a shriek and scrambled backwards. Buffy swore.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I-I-I thought you were Spike!"

"Well, duh! Aren't demons supposed to have better eyesight than that? Where is Spike anyways... and when did he get a microwave?" She picked a piece of warm popcorn out of her hair and popped it into her mouth.

"I don't know. I was supposed to meet him here. Poker night, you know." Clem's smile faded when Buffy raised her eyebrows and made a silent 'Ew'. "We were supposed to be there a couple of hours ago. I guess he must have forgotten. Is there something I can help you with?"

Buffy frowned. "No. Yes. Well, maybe. Have you heard anything about someone or something planning a raid on the Magic Box? Or maybe a demon with a grudge against Anya?"

"Anyanka? Ooh, no way... she's scary. Besides, all the demons I know already know she hangs around with you and the witches. They'd think twice before going after her, even if they wanted to. Did something happen?" 

"Yeah, someone broke into the store when Anya wasn't there." Buffy frowned. "If you see Spike, tell him.... tell him I want to talk to him. And if you hear anything, tell me, **ok**?"

"Sure thing!"

---------------------

Buffy left the crypt and headed home. She couldn't figure it out... if Anya wasn't the target, then why? There was no money missing, no obvious theft of any magical items, as far as she could tell, although she and Willow planned on going over Anya's inventory sheets tomorrow. It would have been much easier if they knew where Anya herself was - she had a photographic memory where the source of her profits were concerned, and she'd be able to tell at a glance whether anything was even a fraction out of place. Of course, if Anya was there, she'd probably be the one in the hospital.

She turned the corner and frowned when she saw the lights on in her house. It was a school night, Dawn shouldn't be up this late.....

"Oh shit. Riley."

She looked at her watch. It read 3:15.

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

She broke into a run. She reached the house, opened the door, ran in, and saw Riley sitting on the couch, with Dawn dozing against the cushions next to him, and an empty pizza box sitting on the coffee table in front of them. He hit the mute button on the remote control, and Dawn sat up, startled, when she heard Buffy's running footsteps.

"Riley. I am so sorry. Something...."

"It's ok, Buffy. Slayer business. At least I hope it was Slayer business that made you forget all about me." He smiled at her.

"Sort of. Someone broke into the Magic Box tonight."

Dawn sat up straight. "Ohmigod. Was Tara there?"

"Yeah, she was. She's in the hospital. She's got a concussion."

"Is she gonna be ok?"

"They don't know yet, Dawn. Willow's with her."

"I want to go see her!"

"We can't tonight, Dawny. She's in the ICU, and they only allow one visitor at a time. We'll go in the morning, and Willow will call us if anything changes."

"What happened?" Riley's voice was calm, but concerned. Buffy gave him a quick rundown.

"And nothing was taken? Are you sure?"

"Not as far as we could tell."

Riley frowned. "I think you're on the right track with Anya. Girl's got a lot of enemies."

"Yeah. Maybe. I don't know." Buffy closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're exhausted. You should get some rest, and Dawn too, if you're going to the hospital in the morning."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry again about our 'date'"

"You don't need to say anything." 

Riley got up, and Buffy followed him to the door. They paused just outside.

"I do expect a raincheck, however."

"Absolutely." Buffy smiled, and looked up into Riley's eyes. He leaned in, and kissed her. Buffy sighed, and ran her hands through his short hair. He slipped one hand around her waist and ran the other gently up the back of her neck. She shivered, and their lips parted.

"Cold?" 

"No, happy. Your hands were cold last night but now they're warm. It's nice."

"Good." He smiled, and kissed her again. "I'd better let you get some rest, though."

"Yeah, ok. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. Here." He pulled a pencil and a small pad of paper out of his jacket. "Here's the number I'm staying at, and here's my pager number. Call me if you need anything, or if you find out anything about who hurt Tara."

"Ok." She took the slip of paper and watched him go. She ran her fingertips across her lips.... they tingled. She smiled, and went back into the house.

---------------------

"So, how did it go?"

"All according to plan. Well, almost. The bitch isn't dead - yet, but she's in no shape to tell anyone what she saw."

Riley's minions looked around uncomfortably, glad that none of them had been the ones to leave "the bitch" alive. One of them spoke up.

"And the Slayer? You left her body someplace?"

Riley shook his head. "Mitchell. That's why you'll never get anywhere. You have no patience. No appreciation for subtlety."

"Subtlety?" Mitchell looked confused. "Does that mean you're not going to turn her?"

Riley rolled his eyes. "No, Mitchell, that means I'm waiting until the time is right. You only get one chance at something like this. I want it to be special for her. Candles, flowers, moonlight.... romantic. Something she'll never forget."

The minions looked even more confused. Riley sighed.

"Tomorrow night. After she gets another dose of the Aphrodite Elixir."


	9. Chapter Eight

"Hurry! They're going to catch up with us!"

Buffy blinked, her face creased with confusion. "Where... what...."

"No time!" Riley grabbed her arm and pulled hard. "They're going to catch up with us! We've got to get away from here!"

"Who? What...." Her question was cut off when a snarling body slammed into her from the side. Her head hit the tiled floor hard, and she barely saw Riley leap forward and stake the vampire that had attacked her. As the dust settled she saw lockers and brightly colored flyers tacked to a corkboard on the wall. Sunnydale High? How was that possible? The school had been destroyed months before she'd even met Riley.

The floor melted and shifted under her cheek, tiles sliding together and merging. A wall of mist moved up in front of the row of lockers. Through it she could see brief flashes of stone, then marble, then glass, and finally trees. The surface beneath her had changed to cement. She was lying on one of the pathways that criss-crossed the UC Sunnydale campus. It was night. Riley yanked her to her feet.

"Come ON!" His eyes were wide, looking at something behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw one of the dormitory buildings falling into a firey chasm in the ground. An ominous rumbling came from deep below, causing the cement pathway to shudder.

They ran through the campus and out into the streets, houses and bulidngs passing by in a blur until Buffy had to stop. She leaned against a parked car, chest screaming from lack of oxygen. Riley wasn't even breathing hard. Why wasn't he breathing hard? She frowned, and looked around. The streets seemed wrong, the colors too bright for night, the shadows too deep... and the stars. The stars were.... moving?

Riley grabbed her arm, panting, face dripping with sweat. "We've got to GO! It might already be too late for Dawn!"

"Dawn?!?" Buffy's eyes grew wide. "They've got Dawn?" She pushed away from the car and ran after him. The came to a halt in front of the old mansion on Crawford Street that Angel had used. Riley pulled her down into the shrubbery outside.

"What.... who has D..."

Riley put his finger over her lips and shook his head, gesturing for her to follow. They crept through the bushes closer to the front of the mansion. Lights flickered inside, and the air crackled with magic. A faint, whispering chant caressed her ears. Riley silently counted off with his fingers, mouthing "One, two, three" and they made a tandem dash at the door, kicking it in. Buffy took a few steps forward before she was frozen by the tableau in front of her.

Dawn hung, suspended in mid air with her arms over her head in a Y shape over the center of a pentagram that glowed a dull red. She was wearing a lacy white old fashioned nightgown, stained red by something Buffy's eyes wouldn't let her comprehend. Dawn's head lolled loosely to one side, eyes staring and glassy. Her skin hung in tiny strips from the thousands of cuts made on every exposed inch to make her blood flow. It still dripped down, every drop sucked up by the hungry pentagram that glowed steadily brighter. Two black robed figures stood in front of her, holding knives. The smaller one slowly turned around.

"Hello Buffy." Willow smiled, showing elongated fangs. Her eyes were solid black. "You're just in time for the festivities."

Buffy lunged forward, but was stopped by a blur of white flesh and black leather crashing into her from the shadows. Before she could react, Spike was on top of her, snarling and smashing her face into the marble floor. She felt something crack inside her as he grabbed a handful of her hair and twisted her head up so she had to look..

"The problem with Hellgods is that they're so... short-sighted. The Key is so much more than just a magic bus ticket. Just think, Glory was going to waste.... all.... this.... power...." Willow raised the ceremonial dagger to her face and slowly licked the blood off. She took a step forward and pulled the other robed figure down into a deep, lingering kiss.

"No...." Buffy's voice cracked with pain as Spike pulled her back even further, arching her back and caputring both of her wrists in one hand.

Xander smeared the blood from his own knife across Willow's lips, then leaned in and licked it away. He turned his head and smiled at Buffy, his eyes flashing a sickly green. "What can I say, Buff? You can take the boy away from the hyena... " He slid his dagger across Willow's lips again, kissing her around the blade.

Spike yanked down hard on Buffy's arms, dislocating them both at the shoulders. He stood up, stomping once on her lower back. 

"'Ere now. Save some of that for me."

Willow broke away from the embrace, annoyed. "You'll get some of the second course, Spike. I promised."

"Damn straight I will. "Aven't 'ad this much fun since China, 'ave we poodle?"

Buffy heard a high-pitched giggle from behind her. She struggled to turn and raise her head and saw Riley's bloodless body fall forward into her line of vision with a thump. Bare feet and white lace-trimmed skirts flowed over him towards her. She felt cold hands on either side of her face and then a wrenching pain as she was pulled to her feet. Drusilla stared into her eyes, then tilted her head to one side, smiled, and kissed Buffy on the forehead.

The world swam white. White like the fabric of Drusilla's dress, white like the light that Buffy had thrown herself into to save Dawn... for what? An even worse death? Bitter tears like acid stung Buffy's face and she felt the familiar sensation of falling. Falling away from the pain, falling away from the world into the warm, welcoming white.

Warm? The hands on her face were warm?

Drusilla was gone. All of them were gone, and Buffy was surrounded by a glowing mist. A dark-skinned girl in a flowing dress stepped back.

"K-Kendra? You weren't here the last time this happened?"

The other Slayer shook her head and smiled.

"Merrick say t'tell ya, 'Y'never did pay attention."

---------------------

"Is it just me, or was Buffy acting really strange this morning? Well, stranger than she usually is..." Dawn reached over and picked an apple out of the bowl of fruit sitting on the counter in the Summers kitchen. She took a big bite.

"Well, I guess she's just worried, Dawn...." Willow was bent over the pager they'd found in the Magic Box, a soldering iron in one hand and a pair of jeweler's tweezers in the other.

"Yeah, I know that. We're all worried. But I didn't think she was gonna let me out of her sight long enough to even get dressed, and she must have jumped three feet when you came up behind her in the hall."

Willow frowned. Dawn was right, Buffy had been reluctant to let her sister leave the house this morning, until Willow had walked in. Then Buffy couldn't seem to get Dawn out the door fast enough, like she didn't want her in the same room as Willow. She didn't need to be reminded how she'd let Dawn be hurt, but she thought that Buffy had forgiven her for that. She snapped the black plastic case back together and flipped a switch on the side of the pager. The LCD screen came to life, flashing a series of numbers and symbols.

"Is it working?" Dawn tossed the core of her apple at the trashcan and craned her neck to get a look at the pager.

"Yeeeah... but it's encrypted. Encrypted?! Who puts encryption on a pager?" Willow slapped the table in frustration.

"Maybe someone will call the number?"

"Maybe." Willow's face showed how useful she thought that would be.

"At least Tara's going to be ok."

Willow's expression brightened. "Yeah." Tara still hadn't fully regained consciousness, at least not enough to tell them who'd attacked her, but the bleeding under her skull had stopped. It was only a matter of time until she woke up. "I'm going to go back up and see her as soon as I get this cleaned up."

"Take me with you?"

"Sure, Dawny. Just let Buffy know where you've gone."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but walked over to the phone. Before she could call the Doublemeat Palace, it rang.

"Hello? Oh, hi Riley. Buffy's not here." Dawn was less than enthusiastic. She still hadn't forgiven Riley for walking out on her sister. "What? No, we're not. Willow and I are getting ready to go to the hospital. Tara's waking up, isn't that great! Riley? Hello? Oh, ok. I won't tell her. Bye." She hung up.

"What was that about?"

"That was Riley. He said he wanted to do something special for Buffy tonight, take her out to dinner or something like that to make up for last night. He was gonna send her some flowers, until I told him that no one was gonna be here to answer the door. We should stop and get Tara some flowers, or some of those balloons on the way over... think they'd let her have those in her room?"

"Well, maybe not the flowers, Dawny... but balloons are a good idea. We'll stop and get her some.

Dawn beamed, and they walked out the front door.

---------------------

Riley snarled and slammed the phone into the wall, sending splinters of beige plastic and cement dust flying.

"Um, boss?"

He kicked a folding chair, catching it as it rebounded off the wall and twisting the metal into an unrecognizable shape.

"Boss?"

The mangled metal screeched as the chair snapped into pieces. 

"Is something, er, wrong, boss?"

Riley spun around and glared at his minions. He stabbed a finger at Mitchell. "You. Take the other two to Sunnydale General and finish the witch off before she can open her big mouth. Make sure...."

He was interrupted by a weak, coughing laugh from across the room.

"Thwarted by... _cough_ Glinda the Good Witch, oi? Tossers. Good for... _cough_ good for 'er."

Riley went so still that he didn't seem to be made of flesh anymore. Only his eyes betrayed any life, golden demon sparks flickering beneath the blue. Long seconds passed. Mitchell and the other two minions tensed, eyes darting towards the exits. Finally, the gold flecks faded and Riley spoke.

"Make sure you aren't spotted. Try to hold your faces until you get to her room. No biting. If I find out that they suspect vampires were responsible, I will cut the tendons in your arms and legs and leave you outside to fry. **Do. You. Understand. Me.**"

One of the minions peeked around from behind Mitchell and hesitantly spoke up. "Um, how should we kill her, then? If we can't bite her..."

Riley stared for a deadly moment. "Smother her. You..." he pointed at the minion who'd spoken. "Hold her down. You watch the door. And Mitchell? You take her pillow and smother her with it. Do it quick. Make sure no alarms go off. And make sure you're not seen. Got it?"

They nodded, and headed towards the door.

"Wait. Your faces. Fix your faces."

They stopped, and looked at each other. Mitchell concentrated for a moment, and the ridges on his face smoothed out. It wasn't that easy for the other two. They closed their eyes, screwed up their features and strained. Finally, one of them shifted back to his human face slowly, with a crunch and a pop. The last one stood there, eyes tightly shut, fists balled up. He grunted, and a red flush spread across his cheeks. A low chuckle came from the table across the room. Riley grabbed a baseball cap and a pair of wraparound sunglasses and threw them at the minion.

"Here. Wear these, keep your head down, and try to stay behind the others. And get out of my sight before I decide this is a two-man operation."

The three hurried up the ladder and into the sewer exit.

"It's so hard to find good _cough_ help these days, innit? Or maybe _cough_ it's just you, Cap'n. The worth of a leader is told by his men, and all that rot."

"The worth of a man. Very interesting you'd bring that up. I had some long, deep conversations about that very subject in South America with a charming young lady. Well, not really 'young', strictly speaking, but oh... so... charming. I think maybe you know her." He walked across the room and leaned over, whispering in Spike's ear. "Drusilla sends her love."

Spike gorwled and bucked against his restraints, causing the wounds across his face and chest to reopen. A bloody froth came to his lips. He hissed weakly: "You're lying."

"I could be. But if I was, would I know about the little star-shaped mole she has on the small of her back? Or how much she likes to be kissed right there? Or the sound she makes when you bite her, right on..."

Spike howled in rage and pain, fighting against the reinforced steel that held him to the table. The cuffs bit into his wrists and ankles, shredding the flesh, and causing fresh blood to trickle out into the pools that had already formed underneath him. Riley watched him struggle, smiling indulgently. It wasn't long before Spike's injuries caught up with him and he fell back against the table and lay still.

"We had such a good time, she and I. For a while. She's really quite kinky, you know? Oh, of course you do. Too kinky for me, really, she's one sick bitch. I prefer my women sweeter... blonder... but Dru taught me all sorts of interesting things. Like that trick with the tendons. Let me show you a few of them... I'm not supposed to meet Buffy for another couple of hours. We've got lots of time."

---------------------


	10. Chapter Nine

"It itches."

Mitchell rolled his eyes. Unlike his twice-late cohort Garrett, he knew his place in the world. He'd been a part of a crew when he was warm, running tax-free tequila across the Mexican border in the trunk of a Thunderbird, and leaning on the odd recalcitrant mark for the bookies when they needed it. Things weren't so different now. You followed orders, stayed out of the boss's way, and always kept one eye open for the cops and guys from other crews trying to move in. Now it was Slayers instead of cops, but still, the old rules applied. Leave the ambition to the tall poppies like Finn, or "William-the-very-Bloody-now" so it'd be their heads that got chopped.

One sentiment he did share with Garrett. He hated newbies.

"Oh, fer... Oswald, did you expect to spend the rest of eternity without once having to pass?"

"Got by fine for twenty years..."

Mitchell stared at him. "Twenty..... Well, I suppose if I looked like you, I wouldn't want to show my human face either."

Oswald grinned. "Yeah, I make a pretty fine lookin' demon. That G'nayhash Succubus even told me so the other night." He paused, seeing the expression on Mitchell's face. "Um, that is what you mean, right?"

"Yeah, Oswald. That's exactly what I mean."

"Wish I knew how you guys did that."

Mitchell glanced over. "How long since you been turned, Darryl?"

Darryl grinned under his ray-bans. "Three years now. My sire's name was Candy, she said I was cute. Can you believe I spent my whole life livin' just outside Sunnydale, and never knew there really was such a thing as vampires?"

"Yeah, Darryl, I can. Now shut up. We're here."

They slipped through a side door and up the stairwell to the 3rd floor, where the ICU was located. Riley had found out earlier that Tara was in 322, a private room just off the glassed-in ward where the really critical patients were kept. Mitchell peered around the stairwell door. Room 322 was right behind the nurses' station. He pulled his head back in and forwned slightly, considering the options..

"Here's the plan. I'm going to make a distraction. When you see the nurses running the other way, you go to the witch's room. I'll meet you there."

They nodded, and Mitchell walked onto the floor and down the corridor leading away from 322. He glanced in the open doors until he found what he was looking for. A still, pale form lay obscured by tubes and wires, alone. He sauntered in.

"This looks vital. Breathing... so overrated. Don't miss it at all, and neither will you."

He put his fist through the respirator.

---------------------

The shiny Mylar balloons bumped against the sides of the elevator and clung to Dawn's long hair. She batted them out of the way.

"When do you think they'll let Tara come home?"

"I don't know. Soon. A few more days, at least."

"Ooh, we should have got her some of those chocolate-covered cherries she likes! Do you think they have them in the gift shop?"

"We can get those next time, Dawny."

The doors opened with a soft ding.

"Or maybe some Gummi Bears."

"You're the one who likes the Gummi Bears, Dawn, you and Xander."

"Everyone likes Gummi Bears! I'll get her some. And some of those little marshmallow things. And bring her some CDs."

"I'm sure she'll like that." Willow smiled indulgently.

---------------------

"What's the rush? No one's gonna come in."

Mitchell growled. "Yeah, Darryl, because you ate the nurse. What do you think Finn's gonna do to you when he finds out? He specifically told us to make this look like humans did it."

Darryl's face fell. "I was hungry..."

"Shut up and watch the door. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can stash the nurse's body and get out of here. Oswald. Get her legs. She looks out of it, but they always start fighting once they realize what's happening, even the weak ones." 

Mitchell slipped the pillow out from under Tara's head, nodded to Oswald, and brought it down over her face. She arched her back and clawed at the air, knocking over her IV stand. Mitchell leaned in, using his weight to pin her down.

Darryl licked his lips. "I love it when they fight..."

"...Buffy's CD player. She never uses.... oh my God!"

Dawn screamed, bringing her hand to her mouth and letting the balloons go. The three vampires whipped their heads around to the door. Willow pushed past Dawn, her eyes solid black. She raised her hand:

"Repelus!" The three minions flew away from the bed, smashing into the walls. "Lux dei! Incende!" A bright light filled the room, and all three vampires exploded into ashes.

---------------------

Riley hummed to himself, standing in front of a blank wall like it was a mirror, and smoothed his hair with his hands.

"The one thing I just can't get used to is the mirrors. I sliced myself up good the first time I tried to shave..." He paused, and smiled. "That was a lot of fun, actually. Dru certainly enjoyed it. Tell me, do you ever get used to the mirrors?" He turned, and chuckled. "That's right. You _can't_ tell me anymore. Oh well, maybe Buffy and I will go ask Angel... afterwards. I bet she'd enjoy that."

He went over to a small folding table and opened the metal lockbox sitting on top. He took out a small vial of clear fluid with tiny sparks floating within.

"I know I will. A lot."

He uncapped the vial and tipped a few drops of the fluid onto his lips, rubbing them together to spread it evenly. The sparks flared brightly, then sunk into his skin. Riley tilted his head back and closed his eyes. 

"Ahhhhhhh... "

He shivered, then straightened up and replaced the cap on the vial.

"That is SUCH a rush. I'm going to assume you can still hear me, a little. I intended to leave your eardrums intact. It's more fun if I tell you want I'm going to do. This, _Spikey_, is what they call Aphrodite Elixir. Have you heard of it? Yes? No? Maybe?"

He walked over and kicked the steel autopsy table. It rattled against the wall, but the figure still chained to it didn't make a sound.

"Hmph. Well, I'll tell you anyways. It's an aphrodisiac, it's a love potion, it's a euphoric, but it's so much more. I've heard it makes some demons insane... I'll have to try that sometime, if there's any left. Vampires, well, it just makes us very, very happy... and _frisky_. But humans? Give just a little to a human, and they feel that first rush of falling in love, over and over, and over again. Give it to them again, they're addicted, and hopelessly in love with you. Give it to them a third time, and they'll do anything for you. _Anything_. I've given to Buffy twice, tonight's the charm."

He took a bottle of wine out of an ice chest by the wall, grabbed a syringe, and carefully injected most of the remaining Elixir through the cork.

"I realized a lot of things in Bolivia. Funny how dying can make you see everything so clearly. You were right about one thing, Buffy needs a little monster in her man. And now, I can give that to her. Better than that Lord Byron wannabe in Los Angeles, and sure as hell better than you ever could. It's going to be beautiful. Flowers, candles, a picnic dinner, and the wine... and then afterwards, I'm going to fuck her senseless, drain her, and turn her... and she's going to _beg_ me to do it. Then we'll come back here, and I'll give you to her as a wedding present... assuming you last that long, you're really not looking too good, my man. And then, then she and I will burn our way through this shitty excuse for a town."

Riley's eyes were burning with reddish-gold fire. He stared off into the distance.

"After that, maybe we'll go to Hawaii. What do you think? Think she'd like that?"


	11. Chapter Ten

Dawn rolled her eyes. "They've decided that the perpatrators escaped after some equipment malfunctioned in Tara's room, causing 'a bright flash of light'. Oh yeah, this was after they killed the nurse by stabbing her in the neck with two hypodermic needles. Score another one for the Sunnydale PD."

Willow smiled weakly. She was twisting the hem of her skirt, unconsciously.

"Hey, you saved all three of us. Even if you did do that thing that you're not supposed to be doing anymore. But I'm sure it's ok, just this once, right?"

Willow didn't answer. Dawn continued:

"How's Tara?"

Wilow brightened. "She's gonna be fine. They didn't hurt her. She's even sort of awake, off and on. I don't think she really remembers what happened yet."

One of the police detectives came over.

"I think we're done with you young ladies for now. We'll call you if anything comes up... we've got your number on file." He gave them a meaningful look. "You can both go now."

Willow stood up. "I'm staying here, with Tara." She pulled her cel phone out of her bag and handed it to Dawn. "Dawny, see if you can get Buffy to come and get you."

Dawn rolled her eyes again. "I can find my way home from here."

"Dawn... would you rather I had the policeman drive you home?"

"Ok, ok.... geeeez!" Dawn took the phone and stepped away. 

Willow paced back and forth, eyes darting around. She'd used magic again, without even thinking. She'd done it to save Tara, but, it was so easy, so natural. She could still feel the energy of it coursing through her body... and it felt good. How could something bad feel so good? Dawn interrupted her reverie.

"Sophie says she's already left the Doublemeat, and she's not home."

Willow frowned. "Riley must have picked her up. I really hate to ruin another one of their dates..." Dawn perked up. "...But we've got to. I've got the numbers he left with Buffy here, give me the phone, let's see if we can find her."

Dawn's face fell, but she handed Willow the phone..

"That's strange, the number's out of order. I'll try the pager." She punched it in.

*Brrrrrip* *Brrrrrip* *Brrrrip*

Dawn's eyes widened.

"That can't be. I'll try the number again."

*Brrrrrip* *Brrrrrip* *Brrrrip*

The sound was coming from Willow's bag.

---------------------

"Ok. Now you can look." Riley pulled his hands away from Buffy's eyes.

"Oh.... wow. Just.... when did you have time to do all this?" A wide smile spread across her face as she took in the tablecloth spread over the ground on a small hilltop overlooking Sunnydale. In the center of the cloth, surrounded by flowers, was a bottle of wine in an ice bucket, and a picnic basket. Candles flickered on top of small rocks strategically arranged around the scene.

"Do you like it?"

"How did you know this place was up here, anyways? I've lived in Sunnydale longer than you have, and I've never seen it."

"Found it once on patrol. Do you like it?"

"It's gorgeous. I love it."

"Good." Riley stepped over the candles, uncorked the wine bottle, poured two glasses, and held one out to Buffy. "Sit."

"Did they teach you this in the army?" She settled in on the cloth next to him and took a sip from her glass.

Riley chuckled. "You'd be amazed the things you pick up in the jungles of South America. I wanted to make something special for you tonight. To make up for... things."

"You sure succeeded Agent Finn. Wow. This is more special than I know what to do with. No demon ooze or ketchup squirted all over the place...."

He took her hand. "_You're_ special. You deserve special. More special than this, all the time."

"Riley, I...."

"It's not too much is it? Too soon? I just got back and all...." He looked worried.

"No. It's perfect."

He smiled. "Good." He reached into the basket and pulled out some white cardboard takeout containers. "One thing I didn't learn in the jungle is how to cook worth a damn. But I do remember how to order from Nori's. Sushi?"

---------------------

"There's got to be some mistake. As much as I'd like to think Riley is of the bad, why would he hurt Tara? It doesn't make any sense."

Willow didn't answer. Dawn kept on, almost babbling.

"I mean, he barely even knew her. Unless it's some Initiative thing, but there is no Initiative anymore, right? And even if there was, why Tara and not you? I mean, because you're way more powerful, that's what I mean."

"Open." Willow raised her hand, and the double glass doors at the hospital entrance flew apart.

"There's just got to be some kind of an answer, right?"

Even though her legs were much longer, Dawn had to scurry to keep up with Willow. The witch's feet were barely touching the ground, and the air crackled in her wake. Dawn took a few running steps and touched Willow's sleeve.

"Right?"

Willow stopped and looked at Dawn with black eyes that danced with red sparks. "Right. He's going to give me an answer."

All the dogs within a three block radius of the hospital threw their heads back and howled as the air pressure built. Like ripples, it spread outward, and soon every dog in Sunnydale was howling and barking in chorus.

---------------------

"What was that?"

"It's just the coyotes." Riley brushed his fingers along the underside of Buffy's wrist, tracing the lacy network of veins just below the skin.

"Are you sure? It's so loud. Maybe I should..."

"Shhhh." He lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed it. "I'm sure." He brushed the hair away from the side of her face and let his fingers trail down over her earlobe and down the side of her neck.

"Well, if you're sure." She smiled, reached up to catch his hand with her own, and rubbed her cheek against it.

He moaned softly. "God, I have missed you."

"Riley..."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

---------------------

The Sunnydale Public Library branch near the hospital was long closed for the night, not that it bothered Willow, or presented any obstacle. The doors peeled open as easily as the ones at the hospital, and another wave of her hand took care of the alarm system that triggered.

"Wh..what are we doing here?"

"Finding him." Willow swept over to the bank of public computers and placed her hand against one of the darkened monitors. "Reveal." It flared to life, rows and columns of text and numbers flashing by as she accessed the records of every hotel and motel in Sunnydale simultaneously.... to no avail. Willow made an inarticulate cry of rage and pushed away from the computer, sending it flying into the wall where it exploded in a shower of sparks. She spun around and swept out of the library, with Dawn running after her.

---------------------

Riley pushed the straps of Buffy's blouse off her shoulders and leaned in, kissing across her neck and collarbones, bending her backwards onto the tablecloth.

She sighed. "Mmm. You're so cold."

"Warm me up, then."

---------------------

Dawn was really getting frightened. "M...maybe I should go find Buffy. Or Spike." She started to turn away, but felt herself being dragged along behind Willow.

"She's with _him_. And it's not safe for you alone. But maybe we will go get Spike..."

She abruptly turned and headed towards the cemetary, picking up speed and pulling a helpless Dawn along behind her.

---------------------

Buffy's hands slid down Riley's bare chest as his roamed over her hips. Their discarded clothes lay scattered among the cardboard takeout containers and empty wine bottle. Her lips followed her hands and Riley moaned, digging his fingers into the flesh of her hips as he flipped her over onto her back and buried his face in her neck. She cried out and hooked one bare leg around his waist.

---------------------

Finding Spike's crypt completely empty of all life and unlife, Willow again swept down the streets, with a sobbing Dawn in tow. They came to an intersection close to the center of town, and stopped, hovering about three feet above the concrete surface. Willow opened her bag and removed the black plastic pager. Chanting softly, she held it in her fist, slowly raising her arm until it was straight out in front of her. She opened her fingers.

"Locate."

The pager floated up and forwards, surrounded by a glowing halo.

---------------------

Riley thrust himself against Buffy. She pulled him in with both her legs locked around his hips and they cried out together. He held himself rigid for a moment, then relaxed, with his face against her shoulder. She slowly let her legs slide down, and stroked the back of his head. He licked the side of her neck and nuzzled there.

---------------------

The pager floated up and forwards, glowing brighter, then it flamed out with a crackling sound and fell to the street, leaving a wispy trail of smoke behind. Willow threw her head back and screamed. The pavement around them buckled and scorched, and a ball of fire shot up into the air.

---------------------

"What the..."

Both of their heads snapped around. The light from the fireball over Sunnydale was bright enough even that far away to illuminate the picnic site with an angry orange glow.

"THAT was not coyotes." Buffy sprang to her feet, grabbing her clothes and hastily pulling them on. "I've got to go see what caused it."

Riley muttered under his breath.

Buffy was already heading down the cliffs, buttoning her jeans as she went. She turned her head to look at him. "What?"

"I said, yeah, go."

She was already yards away, and didn't see his eyes flickering gold.

"I'll be right behind you."


End file.
